jan_52_breeder_of_the_month.qxp
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Breeders in the News David and Kathleen Holmes at their Pitchall Farm Stud in nearby Evesham, where Midnight Legend stands. Wilkinson sent Lac Marmot to Midnight Legend in her first three stud seasons, producing My Petra, Lake Legend and their retained own-brother, Midnight Appeal. All started off in training with Alan King, but My Petra has since joined Nicky Henderson. Wilkinson said: “I sold all three privately, My Petra being bought by Steve and Petra Wallace. Later they sold her for 75,000gns at Doncaster in 2007. After receiving all that money they then said that they would like to buy Lac Marmot, which they did. “Unfortunately she lost the Midnight Legend foal that she was carrying, but she is now in foal to Act One. I have retained her three-year-old by Hamas, and I still have one broodmare, Disco Danehill, who is due to Midnight Legend.” Lac Marmot’s grandam, Laugharne, and the next four dams in the female line, Boathouse, Ripeck, Felsetta and Felucca, are all names synonymous with the late Dick Hollingsworth. The Felucca line was renowned for producing exceptional middle-distance and staying horses, headed by Ascot Gold Cup winner, Longboat, and Oaks winner Bireme. The family gained a new dimension when Bindaree (a great grandson of Ripeck) won the 2002 Grand National. Last season My Petra finished a game second in the Grand Annual Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, so it would be rather special for her breeder if she could go one better in March.
Danny Charlesworth Entente cordiale still alive to deliver fairytale outcome for cross-Channel partnership in the shape of Champion Hurdle contender Crack Away Jack As a boy, Danny Charlesworth remembers being given a copy of the Dandy comic annual by his father for Christmas, which featured ‘Crackaway Jack’, the horse with amazing abilities. Fast forward 50-odd years and his namesake, bred by Charlesworth in partnership with French racing pundit Claude Charlet, is rapidly turning fiction into reality, with a string of fine performances marking him out as one of the most exciting hurdlers around. Crack Away Jack, owned by Charlesworth with sons Gregory and Daniel Jnr, and nephew Michael Smith, has already tasted Cheltenham Festival glory, having landed the 2008 Fred Winter Juvenile Novices’ Handicap Hurdle for the Emma Lavelle stable. The Champion Hurdle in March is now the prime target. “I always thought that if ever I owned a horse, he would be called Crack Away Jack,” said Charlesworth, 57, the founder of Citipost, the global mailing distribution business. “He’s done everything we’ve asked of him so far and I think that had he jumped the second last in the Ascot Hurdle (Grade 2, beaten a length by Chomba Womba) he would have won. “It’s fantastic that the first horse I bred with Claude is so exceptional. We hope that potentially he could be a Gold Cup horse one day.” Charlesworth, who was brought up in south London and now lives in Kent, went into business with Charlet when he asked him to find a couple of racing prospects. The Frenchman returned with Labelthou, a high-class mare and multiple Grade 2 winner.
Having “got the flavour” for racing, Charlesworth decided to have a crack at breeding, and bought into Charlet’s small broodmare band in France, which included Jolly Harbour. Her first foal by Gold Away, born at trainer Guy Cherel’s Normandy farm, was soon displaying his star quality. Charlesworth said: “They used to call Crack Away Jack ‘The Daddy’ at Guy’s place, because out of about 30 yearlings they all used to follow him about! “We have his three-year-old half-brother by Golden Nureyev to look forward to, a sister to top chaser Sleeping Night named Sleeping Doll, while Labelthou, who we have decided to retire, will visit Gold Away. Claude is very bright on the breeding side and with Guy’s input we pick out the best stallions for our mares.”
The size and scope of Crack Away Jack, who has put young conditional jockey Jack Doyle in the spotlight, has left his trainer and her partner, former rider Barry Fenton, excited about the prospect of sending him over fences. Indeed, he is regularly schooled over the larger obstacles at home, although his owner is not so sure about when to send his star chasing. “I would be happy to keep him over hurdles for a while,” said Charlesworth. “My perspective has actually changed since I’ve become involved in racing; my main priority is to see all my horses come back safe and sound.” He added: “I recognise that I’ve had a lot of good fortune so far with the likes of Labelthou and Crack Away Jack, but then I’ve always been a lucky sort of bloke.”
The two Jacks: Crack Away Jack and Jack Doyle in action at Ascot
JANUARY 2009 THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER 89